Brandon Dozier

If it's really thick veg then you would probably be better off just using creatures and a punch skirt.

This time of the year is going to be very slim pickings for a bank fisherman. With the heat, bass will find deeper structure. You may catch a few off of the bank, but they will probably be between 1/2 - 1 lbsers. See if you can find a lake map. Maybe you can cast to some drop offs that aren't too far from shore. That will be your best bet.

If you hop on over to the Tackle sub-forum, you should find everything you need to know about jigs, including videos of how-to's made by the wonderful members of BassResource.com. Check there first.

I lol'd. Also, thanks for the advice, links and insight.

I'm glad you posted that. Really good read. Thanks.

So I did a bad, bad thing last week. I closed a truck door on my rod tip. First time I have done that (in my defense, it was dark). I'm quite disappointed in myself but at this point I need some advice. The rod is a Shimano Sellus. Love this rod. MH with xFast tip. 7' casting with regular guides. The part that broke off is about 8" after I chop off the frayed graphite. My first question: Is it worth putting a new rod tip on? This thing set me back $80.00 and I'd hate to see it in the trash. Second question: If it is worth saving, What will the action be like being 8" shorter? Do I lose all the action in the tip with this much waste? My guess would be MH with Heavy action tip. This was primarily my jig rod, could it still be used as such? Third question: Should the stars align and the rod savable and usable, what should i cut the frayed graphite off with? I tried this once with a hacksaw but it didn't seem to do all that well. Suggestions? I'm hoping somebody, somewhere has had a similar problem with a similar rod and can help me. Thanks for reading guys, any help would be appreciated.

They work pretty well here in VA. Just as well as my other creature baits. I do like the durability though. As for which size to buy: both. Some days you can catch fish on the larger ones, but others you may need to downsize to get bites. I would recommend picking up some of each. Hope this helps.

Advertising is so much more than "buy something because I saw a sticker". I believe the point here is, why would a company charge a few dollars or sticker, rather than handing them out? The cost is minimal and the return would definitely be higher than cost. Even if people didn't run out and shop because they saw a sticker on a truck window, they will stick recognize the product.

I don't understand what the issue is to begin with. I have decals on my truck. I don't get paid to have them on there. I paid for none of them. I do however appreciate the products I use and that is why I choose to put them on there. Free advertising or not, who cares? Promoting a product by a fishing company helps the sport as a whole. I don't think he is going to complain if he has to pay for them. I think you are a little off base. Consider this an experiment. As a side note, I am curious to see how OP's responses turn out.

A lot of NOVA guys on here. I feel so lonely down here in south-eastern VA.

I have fished a small pond over the years and I catch a lot of fish that have been caught previously. The holes in the white membrane doesn't seem to close up. It seems that they are just stuck with that hole. Similar to if we had a gunshot/stab wound. You are left with the scar. Contrary to bass though, we will heal under the skin. Bass don't seem to heal the same way in that part of the mouth. With that said, other parts (fleshy) of their body's do seem to heal up completely.

A great idea. There are styles of jigs you have that I would use, but you don't currently have the colors that I would want. Tired of SK jigs, also.

Definitely, this.

If you are going to get a Lightning Rod, make it a shock. A few dollars more but they have some added stuff that makes it worth the money.

Been there. Lost an Alabama Rig in a lake. Luckily it was free. My line pinched when I cast too fast and it snapped my line. This could very well be your issue. I broke off on braid, so im sure you can run in to the same issue with smaller lures on lighter lines.

He would still run in to the same issue.

That has the easy cast thing on it right? I thought that was a pretty cool system. Also, congrats on your first baitcaster. I'm not trying to be the devils advocate here really, but you should return it and get a little bit nicer reel. The Pro Tourney for example (when on sale). From my experience, you suffer in casting distance with those cheaper baitcasters, beginner or not. Also, a nicer baitcaster will last you much, much longer. Just my two cents. Not trying to be rude.

Haha, I know the sound of it spooling too fast all too well.

If after reading all of these posts you still haven't had any progress, try this: Unscrew the level-wind knob almost all the way off. Release all the tension. You want the knob to just barely cover the o-ring here. I personally fish with mine like this (some fell off though LOL) and only use my thumb and the mag brakes to control. As a beginner it will be difficult but I think after reading your posts, the odd-man-out seems to be the level-wind tension. Try it, just don't lose the knob like me!

Ive never seen that before.

If you cast and get a birdsnest just tighten your level wind very slightly. It doens't take much. The only time I really get them is when I cast and hit a tree limb, or try to cast too far without setting my BC up for it. If you set it up so that your bait will fall to the water, hit, and your spool stops then you should be golden. You will be surprised far you can cast with a soft cast or flick of your wrist when you have it set correctly.

When you set your baitcaster right, you shouldn't need to keep your thumb on the spool unless you are trying to do fancy stuff to get it under low hanging bushes and such. I only thumb my spool when I want my cast to stop, but I don't slam down on it, otherwise you will stop short of your target. The last second and a half/two seconds is when I start thumbing, starting lightly at first and progressively getting heavier. Unless you are making hail-marrys with cranks and topwaters, your mag brakes should do most of the work.

I really enjoyed this story. I plan on buying a boat in the near future so this was some good insight on what I should look for and what I can run in to. Thanks for this.

I fished a ton of u-vibe worms last year. I cast them out and if they don't pick it up on the fall then I swim it slowly back. I feel if you work it the same way you are working a ribbon tail worm then you arent using the lure to its fullest. The action of the tail is similar to a swimbait, so you should work it as such.

Oh and if there is a pipe, they are there. Most neighborhood ponds are linked to other ponds through pipes. See if you can find it and you will certainly find a good fish.